While having former members of Himsa and Harkonen within their line-up may not guarantee instant sales, it does hint at what to expect from IAMTHETHORN. A dirge-laden metallic foray, "You Are The Lamb" revels in a type of cumbersome ferocity few bands have the bulk, let alone stomach to successfully pull off.

Driven by a relentless hunger, the bands sweeping heaviness is often thick and murky and lives up to their naming of Eyehategod and Crowbar as influences. In fact, it's not uncommon for elements of doom and sludge to mix together long enough to form a sinkhole that can swallow a track whole. The thing that keeps IAMTHETHORN's head above the quicksand though is their ability to modernize and vitalize their turgid songs with a harshness that echoes the likes of Will Haven and their label mates Cursed.

That said though, balance isn't necessarily the bands strongpoint. The scant few rigidly-paced moments are often quickly enveloped by long-winded droning and bellowing vocals that don't seem to grab attention or hit home. Sure it's heavy as hell, but with ideas stomped bare and a general lack of atmospherics to complement the marathon dirges; IMATHETHORN presently lack the inner sense of direction required to lead the lambs to the slaughter.